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1148206

registered interest
date	03/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the cost of increasing the child element of the universal credit payment by (a) £10 a week and (b) 70 per cent; and how many children would be taken out of poverty as a result of each.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	294147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 09:38:38 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1148208

registered interest
date	03/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the most recent annual estimate is of the cost of ending the two child limit for universal credit between now and 2033/34.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	294148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>No assessment has been made up to 2033/34, however we estimate that the cost of ending this policy to be around £5bn up to 23/24.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view is that providing support for a maximum of two children or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit ensures fairness between claimants on the one hand and, on the other, those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. Where they are able to, Individuals should consider whether they are financially prepared to support a new child without relying on benefits.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups. On migration to Universal Credit families’ existing entitlement will be protected, so long as they remain responsible for the same children and entitled to benefit.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 10:16:30 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1147772

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of (a) delays and (b) errors in universal credit awards as a result of (ii) inaccurate in Real Time Information and (iii) differences in the operating systems used by (A) her Department and (B) HMRC; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	293422
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via the Real Time Information (RTI) system.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC have updated their guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to do this.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 10:05:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1147781

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September to Question 290673 on Universal Credit, whether a reduction in the monthly repayments of a court fine from 40 per cent to a lower amount will return to the 40 per cent rate in the following month if a person has no other deductions attached to a universal credit claim.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	293470
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Our deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and a claimant’s ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, deductions will be capped at 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve this balance.</p><p> </p><p>In the scenario outlined, if a person has no other deductions, the most that would be deducted for a court fine in the following assessment period is £108.35. This is because the maximum deduction for court fines is based on a fixed figure in regulations rather than a percentage. If the £108.35 figure were more than 30% of the claimant’s standard allowance, the deduction would be reduced to 5% of the standard allowance, ensuring the 30% cap was not exceeded. The policy was designed to deduct either the minimum or maximum set out in regulations and avoid inconsistencies that may arise if discretion was to be exercised for each claimant’s deduction.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 09:55:53 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1147904

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with social landlords on rent arrears caused by the time between a claimant’s universal credit being paid and the housing costs being sent to the landlord via APA on the next bulk payment run.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	293707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Initial analytical work we have carried out with a single housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.</p><p>The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget which includes making their own rent payments to landlords, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers where needed. We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders, including landlords, to ensure we understand concerns which helps us to design improvements to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.</p><p> </p><p>The Department issues a schedule of payments to Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlords, and our Third Party Creditor system - currently used to pay SRS landlords - uses a 28-day payment cycle. We are currently working with a range of landlords to design, develop and test a better services with the intention of having a solution in place by the end of this year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293708 question first answered 08/10/2019 09:58:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1147906

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to introduce any-day payment of housing costs via APA to avoid delays between the tenant’s universal credit payment date and the next bulk payment of housing costs to landlords.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	293708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Initial analytical work we have carried out with a single housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.</p><p>The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget which includes making their own rent payments to landlords, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers where needed. We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders, including landlords, to ensure we understand concerns which helps us to design improvements to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.</p><p> </p><p>The Department issues a schedule of payments to Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlords, and our Third Party Creditor system - currently used to pay SRS landlords - uses a 28-day payment cycle. We are currently working with a range of landlords to design, develop and test a better services with the intention of having a solution in place by the end of this year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293707 question first answered 08/10/2019 09:58:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1147920

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of October 1 to Question 290635 on universal credit, what evidence her Department used to reduce the repayment level from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of universal credit award.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	293439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department collects and analyses data on Universal Credit regularly, including on the rate of deductions. Alongside this, the Department is always building our understanding on the impact deductions can have on claimants, and has heard evidence from external organisations on this issue. We have to balance these impacts with the need for claimants to meet their obligations.</p><p> </p><p>We believe the reduction from 40 percent to 30 percent strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to make essential repayments and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. It maintains our policy to enforce social obligations such as the payment of fines and Child Maintenance, ensure Government debt is recovered and vitally to safeguard claimants from the potential impacts of not repaying priority debts, such as homelessness or the deduction of fuel.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:16:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1147573

registered interest
date	01/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the reasons for differing rates of home visits to universal credit applicants in different geographical areas; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	292795
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>Home visits are available to support claimants in making and maintaining their Universal Credit claims. No assessment has been made regarding the differing rates of home visits in different geographical areas as home visits are given based solely on the circumstances of the claimant.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure all claimants are supported, the Department has allocated additional funding for the home visiting service. This year we have allocated £1 million of funding for the home visiting service. For 2019/20 the total fund allocated will rise to just under £2 million, and will continue to increase to over £5.5 million per year by 2023/24, reflecting the increase in the total number of claimants of Universal Credit whether through managed migration or from other sources.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 12:56:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1146996

registered interest
date	30/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her timescale is for the completion of managed migration to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	292273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>We have already said that following the pilot we will report back to Parliament on progress and findings, and at that point will determine the process for bringing forward further legislation to move claimants beyond the pilot phase.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 introduced in July 2019 allow the Department to pilot moving no more than 10,000 claimants across to Universal Credit from legacy benefits and is expected to last until November 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Draft regulations were sent for scrutiny to the independent Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in 2018. The Committee submitted them for a formal public consultation, receiving 455 responses - the Government accepted, in whole or in part, all but one of the Committee’s recommendations.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 14:46:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1147067

registered interest
date	30/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of backdating universal credit payments to reduce the five week wait for a first payment.
tabling member constituency	South Cambridgeshire
tabling member printed	Heidi Allen
uin	292316
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed urgently, until their first regular Universal Credit payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Claims may be backdated, by up to one calendar month, in limited circumstances for vulnerable claimants who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:48:25 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4516 label Biography information for Heidi Allen